Multiple sound and picture recording and projection system



March 2, 1937. MQL. mcoLscbN 2,072,527

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March 2, 1937. A. M L, N co so 2,072,527

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ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1937 MULTIPLE SOUND AND PICTURE RECORD- ING AND PROJECTION SYSTEM Alexander McLean Nicollon, New York, N. Y., assignor to Communication Patents, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 27, 1930, Serial No. 456,037 Renewed July 29, 1936 9 Claim.

This invention relates to the recording and projection of sound and pictures, and particularly to the recording and reproduction of sound from a plurality of associated sources together with 6 concomitant pictures.

An object of this invention is to record a plurality of sources oi sound upon a single record, and to reproduce said sound from the single record.

Another object of the invention is to record a plurality of sound sources with concomitant television scannings into a single record, and to reproduce the record for simultaneous projection. A further object of the invention'is to record 16 for later reproduction a scene in its'colors and accompanying sounds, as for instance a stage presentation, the sound being particularized to definite positions to accompany the sound sources when reproduced.

20 A still further object is to transmit a plurality of signal sources on a single carrier frequency channel.

Heretofore, sound and pictures occurring in the same scene have been recorded simultaneously 25and reproduced simultaneously. The reproduction has been made by the projection of the pictures on a screen and the reproduction of the sound behind or near the projection screen. It frequently occurred that a scene was projected 30 wherein the object originating the sound was shown at the extreme left portion of the picture screen, while the sound was reproduced to the right of the screen, providing a distorted and. unreal reproduction of the original occurrence. No attempt was made to localize or position the sound in accordance withthe projection of the picture, nor to present any binaural effect thereto.

This invention contemplates providing apparatus for recording a scene in its natural colors and recording concomitant sound, the sound being reproduced with the picture and inaccordance with the actual place of occurrence in the original. Furthermore, the invention contemplates recording pictures and accompanying sound upon a single recording medium such as film or disc record by having individual sound tracks for recording sound picked up by several spatially disposed microphones with respect to the sound sources. The pictures may be recorded in the usual manner by using moving picture film, while the sound tracks are interposed therebetween. The recording may also be accomplished by modulating each individual sound source at a difierent modulation frequency v 55 and modulating the whole with another preferably higher-frequency for recording all of said sound sources in a single record strip. In this manner television impulses may be combined with sound impulses, all of which are modulated with the recording or transmitting frequency. The reproduction from the single film track is accomplished by the use of band pass filters for segregating each particular sound source. Simultaneous transmission of the various sound sources or television source through space or over wires may be accomplished with this single carrier transmission frequency. Each modulating frequency, of course, may transmit the same source of sound in different phase relationships, in order to provide binaural; multiaural, or, directional eflects. Certain of these features are being claimed in'the divisional application Serial No. 701,698, filed December 9, 1933.

Details of the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure 1 is a line diagram of either a recording or projection system;

Fig. 2 is a view of the film used in the system in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a system of recordingsound and television impulses as individual sound records on a single film strip.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of-a recording system for sound and television as a single track; and

Fig. 5 shows the reproducing system for Fig. 4.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, three cameras or projectors 5, 6 and I are shown associated with three individual sound recording or reproducing systems 9, l and H. The sound currents are derived from microphones or reproduced in loud speakers l3 associated with sound system 9; derived from microphones or reproduced in loud speakers l4 associated with sound system l0; and derived from microphones or reproduced in loud speakers l associated with the sound system H. In recording, the output from sound systems 9, l0 and H pass into the sound recorder I! for impression on a film l8 which passes through cameras or projectors 5, 6 and 1- over the guide rollers IS. A source of supply for the various units is shown at 20. The projectors 5, 6 and I are focused on a screen 22. The three projectors are used to project the scene in three colors, for instance in red, blue, and orange, the mixture of which upon the screen presents the usual scene 1 in its proper color scheme. When the devices 5, 6 and 1 function as cameras, the screen is elimmated, and whatever scene is presented is recorded in the three colors in any well known manner such as individual color screens before .the cameras. The microphones are so displaced around the screen that they are actuated by the 5 sound occurring in their immediate 'vicinities and during reproduction loud speakers reproduce this sound in the same or substantially the same posi tion. The, two series of speakers I3 and I5 may present sound binaurally as disclosed in my Pat- 1o ent No. 1,852,624 of April 5, 1932.

By the use of multiple cameras and projectors,

v The film is shown with the usual sprocket teeth holes 24 used-fordriving the-film.- I

Fig. 3 shows a film 35 with two sound recordings 36 and a television recording .31. The light variations are projectedv from light projecting apparatus 35 and," and the television light variations are projected from apparatus 4 I. The various projectors are shown disposed laterally across the film and may be offset for convenience of arrangement, the same displacement being maintained at the repr'oducerr The television recording is shown as a single light developed track, since the picture is broken up into various units by the scanning process.

Referring to Fig. 4, various details of the recording system are illustrated. Four microphones 50,

5I, 52 and 53, which may either detect separate and distinct sound sources or the same sound source at different phase displacements, are connected to respective modulator systems 55, 56, 51

40 and 58 which have associated with them respective oscillators 60, 6I, 62 and 63. These oscillators provide diiferent modulating frequencies separated from one another sufflciently to prevent any interaction or interference between the products of modulation. The outputs of the modulators are impressed upon a single modulator 65 through a switch 66. The modulator 65 provided with a frequency considerably above the frequencies being generated by the individual oscillators 60, 6i, 62 and 63 from an oscillator 61.

After the second modulation the products thereof are fed into a recording Iamp'69 for projection onto "aFsensitized-film Ill. Such projection will form the sound track I I-r-"The recording lamp, of

course, may be replaced by'an aerial system or a wire systemtfor transmitting the-single carrier modulations -to reproduction apparatus. The sound track may be composed of either the carrier plus the side bands or only one side band, the carrier and the other side band being eliminated in a manner well known in the art.

In a branch input circuit of the modulator is a second switch I3 which connects the modulator 65 to a modulator which is supplied from an oscillator I5. This oscillator generates a frequency which is different'from any of the other oscillations and, preferably, between the frequencies of the sound modulating oscillators and the carrier oscillator 61 because of the respective frequencies being modulated. The input to the modulator I4 is a photoelectric cell I1 which receives reflected light from an object I8 being scanned by light projecting through a pinhole camera I9 from a; moving are on screen 80. Any

well known system of scanning such as a rotating .cell 81.

disc may be employed in this invention, but an electrodynamic arc in a magnetic field is preferable. Such a scanning system is described in my Patent No. 1,868,278 of June 14, 1932.

The frequencies generated by the photoelectric cell 1'! are, after modulating by the modulator I4, impressed on'the modulator 65 for recording on the film 10. Byuse of the switches 66 and II.

I recordings of both pictures and their concomitant sound from microphones 50, 5|, 52 and 53 may be recorded simultaneously, or recordings from either of said sources may be made.

Referring to Fig. 5, the receiving system or reproduction apparatus for the recorder or trans-' 'mitter of Fig. 4 is shown. The film III with its sound track II is passed between a source of light 85,-energized from a source 86 and a photoelectric The generated frequencies are impressed on a demodulator 88, associated with an oscillator ":flii which generates the same frequencies as oscil- "lator' 61.

If the carrier isrecorded with a side band, however, the oscillator is not required. The

output of the demodulator is transmitted to two switches 90 and 9| which transfer the output to the sound reproducing apparatus or to the picture receiver, respectively. In the input of the sound record-system are filters 93, 94, and 56 for segregating the frequency bands carrying the particular sound frequencies corresponding to the microphones 50, 5i, 52 and 53. These filters should be of the band pass type, passing bands of a frequency width comparable to the voice range. After the individual sound modulations are segregated, they. are impressed upon the modulators I00, IIlI, I02 and I03 having respective oscillators I04, I05, I06 and IOI which correspond in frequency to the oscillators 60, 6|, 62

and 63 of the recording system. Again, if the speakers may be disposed in such positions about a projection screen that they reproduce sound at f substantially the same point as the sound originated in the original scene. Also if certain pickup devices detect the same source at different positions, the corresponding loud speakers may be positioned aroundthe auditorium or outdoors to reproduce the source with 'a binaural effect.

When picture frequencies are being transmitted, they are selected-by a filter I20 and de-' tected by a demodulator I2I with its associated oscillator I22, the output of the photoelectric cell 11 being passed to television receiving equipment I25.which may be of the electrodynamic are or the neon cell type. The picture being received may be associated with the loud speakers or may be individually received.

"With the above disclosed invention the transor as a single recording, may comprise an entire scene in its natural colors, stereoscopic effects, and accompanying sound with directional and binaural effects.

While the invention has been described in one of its preferred embodiments, I desireit to be understood thatmodi fications may be made and that no limitations on the invention are intended other than those imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:.

1. In a sound and picture recording system, a plurality of pick-up devices for sound and a source of television frequencies, means for segregating the sound frequencies into individual frequency channels, means for separating the picture frequencies from the sound frequency channels, and means common to all of said channels for simultaneously recording said sound and picture frequencies, said means including a common recording light source.

2. In a system for the recording of sound and pictures, means for generating electrical currents corresponding to picture variations, means for generating electrical currents corresponding to sound variations, said sound variations accompanying said pictures, and common means for simultaneously combining said pictures and sound currents into a unitary record, said means including a common recording light source.

3. In a sound and picture recording system,

means for generating electrical currents corresponding to picture variations, means for gen erating electrical currents corresponding to sound variations, said picture variations corresponding ously combining said picture and sound currents into a unitary film record, said means including a common recording light source.

4. In a sound and picture recording system, means for translating a plurality of acoustic and television signals into a corresponding plurality of electrical signals, means'for shifting said signals to mutually exclusive frequency bands,

means for modulating a common frequency current with all of said shifted signals, and means for impressing said last modulations as a unitary record ona recording unit.

5. In a sound and picture recording system. means for translating a plurality of acoustic signals. into a'corresponding plurality of electrical signals, means for shifting said signals to mutually exclusive frequency bands, means for .producing electrical currents corresponding tolight and shade densities of an object, means for modulating a common frequency current with all of said signals, and means for simultaneously impressing said last modulations on a recording light source.

6. In a sound and picture recording system. means for translating a plurality of acoustic signals into a corresponding plurality of electrical signals, means for translating the light and shade densities of an object into electrical signals, means for generating a carrier frequency, means for modulating said carrier frequency with said generating electrical currents corresponding to.

sound variations, a recording element, a recording medium, and means for simultaneously impressing the current corresponding to all of said variations on said element, whereby a continuous unitary record is made on said medium.

8. In a sound, and picture recording system, means for generating a plurality of independent currents corresponding to picture variations. means generating electrical currents corresponding to sound variations, a recording medium, and means for simultaneouslycombining all of said cmrents corresponding to said picture and sound variations into a continuous unitary record-on said medium. a

9. In a sound and picture recording system, means for generating electric currents corresponding to picture variations in accordance with the colors of an object or image thereof, means for generating electric currents corresponding to sound variations in accordance with the location of the sound source in said object or image, and means for simultaneously recording all of said variations into a unitary record.

ALEXANDER McLEAN NICOLSON. 

